Paint A Rainbow: Colour And Interior Design

There’s a trend amongst schools to give pupils a chart of different colour ‘hats’ they can wear in any given situation. Green for creativity, white for seeking information, blue for reflecting on your thoughts… the list goes on, but it’s a neat way to sum up how colour affects our mood, perspective and decision-making.

Similarly, we tend to put our design hats on when finalising interior décor, and colour has a huge part to play in what look we land on. Understanding what colour shades can do for your home is crucial to getting the feel you’re after, so let’s ruminate on your options…

Freeing the mind

Use dark & light colours to achieve the desired balance

A well-designed home can either revel in a sense of enclosed space, or try and open up the dimensions you’re playing with. A lot of this depends on the colours you match to a furniture set, particularly with the distance you allow between objects for co-ordination or contrast to become more apparent.

Imagine a freestanding wardrobe in a beige bedroom – the wood panelling is tinged with an ashen tone, and there aren’t many other items within a few feet of it, making the naturalistic impression stand out all the more against a wide, expansive wall space. The converse to this effect would be slotting a fitted sliding wardrobe onto an entire wall section, perhaps painted a subtle blue to play off red décor.

The basic element to grasp is that lighter colours work well with minimalist interiors, whilst darker shades encode a cosier, intimate atmosphere that lends itself to closely positioned furniture.

The social factor

Designing rooms for social occasions should definitely guide your palette down a certain path. An extremely dark kitchen, for instance, will make family mealtimes somewhat oppressive. Likewise, a living room with a bright, yellow gleam might be overpowering on a sunny day.

This can depend on your property, and how much natural light filters through to each room, but ‘clean’ colours are a popular kitchen choice – think whites, greys and light browns – for encouraging a healthy, hygienic atmosphere. If you have a home study, you can indulge the darker ends of the spectrum there, or anywhere else that can double as a social hub or introverted think tank.

Manipulating your favourites

If you love blue, layer with multiple shades and white

Everyone has their favourite colour. We find it hard to explain, and we don’t need to – it’s just a personal truth that adds another layer to the onion of human complexity.

However, going overboard with that special colour might be a hasty decision, seeing as too much of a good thing can dull our fondness for it in the first place. You should therefore aim to be quite picky where a favourite will go; try breaking it up with a distinctive colour that’s not too loud, such as purple and cream, for a smooth, complementary finish.

Hopefully, your inner design demon has been kindled after musing on what colours do for us. Our advice is only meant to be a starting point for your tastes and innovations to take over, so don’t be afraid to experiment when decorating your home!

As makers of beautiful bespoke furniture, Hartleys can fill up your creative tank if it’s running dry. Contact us for more décor tips, or visit our showroom to see amazing colour schemes in action.